Authorities investigate death near Highway 101 in Newbury Park

Authorities are investigating a death reported late Friday afternoon near Highway 101 in Newbury Park.

The incident, reported around 4:40 p.m. as a medical emergency, brought firefighters and law enforcement personnel to an area along the southbound freeway near Ventu Park Road. Freeway ramps and surface streets cut through wooded areas along the highway shoulder in the vicinity.

Ventura County firefighters who first arrived on scene described finding someone possibly dead and requested sheriff's deputies.

A man's body was found at the site, said Ventura County Sheriff's Capt. Ken Truitt. Initial reports indicate the individual may have been homeless, he said. The man may have been dead for some time. The sheriff's agency is contracted to provide police services in Thousand Oaks, including Newbury Park.

.There was no sign of violence at the scene, Truitt said, but the unusual location merited extra attention.

"Just the fact it was on the side of the road makes it a little more suspicious," he said.

Investigation of the fatality ultimately fell to the jurisdiction of the California Highway Patrol, Truitt said, because of the body's proximity to the freeway

CHP officials later said on social media the man was 37. He was found near the southbound onramp from Ventu Park Road. The cause of death was unknown as of early Saturday.

Anyone with information is asked to call the CHP's Moorpark-area office at 805-553-0800.

This story may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Authorities investigate death near Highway 101 in Newbury Park